escheat

es·cheat

1. Reversion of land held under feudal tenure to the manor in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.

2. Law

a. Reversion of property to the state in the absence of legal heirs or claimants.

b. Property that has reverted to the state when no legal heirs or claimants exist.

intr. & tr.v.es·cheat·ed, es·cheat·ing, es·cheatsLaw

To revert or cause to revert by escheat.

[Middle English eschete, from Old French (from escheoir, to fall out) and from Anglo-Latin escheta, both from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, to fall out : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]

es·cheat′a·ble adj.

escheat

(ɪsˈtʃiːt) law

n

1. (Law) (in England before 1926) the reversion of property to the Crown in the absence of legal heirs

2. (Law) (in feudal times) the reversion of property to the feudal lord in the absence of legal heirs or upon outlawry of the tenant

3. (Law) the property so reverting

vb

(Law) to take (land) by escheat or (of land) to revert by escheat

[C14: from Old French eschete, from escheoir to fall to the lot of, from Late Latin excadere (unattested), from Latin cadere to fall]

esˈcheatableadj

esˈcheatagen

es•cheat

(ɛsˈtʃit) Law.n.

1. the reverting of property to the state or, as in England, to the crown when there are no legal heirs.

In summary, if the holder of unclaimed property can determine the state of the property owner's residence using registration address data, then the holder escheats the property to that state (see Exhibit 1).

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